Alaska

By: Emma O. and Layna M.

Alaska

By: Emma O. and Layna M.

Alaskan Landscape

Some major rivers in Alaska include the Chena River, the Kasilof River, the Nenana River, the Tanana Rivers, and the Yukon River, but there is also 3 million lakes in Alaska. That's a lot of lakes.

The Central in Alaska has hot, brief summers and long, cold winters. The Aleutian Island archipelago has cold, damp, windy weather. The Artic coast is cold throughout the year, and the ground never thaws.

Alaskan Natives and Culture

The Eskimo, the Aleut, and the American Indians make up about one seventh of Alaska's population. The Eskimo traditionally lived along the Artic Ocean-Bering Sea coast and in the great deltas formed by the Yukon and Kuskokwim rivers. The Tlingit, the Haida, and The Tsimshian Indians live on island and coasts of the Panhandle and are known for their woodworking skills, mainly totem poles. Natives have continued in traditional occupations such as fishing, hunting, and fur taping.

Iditarod

The Iditarod is an annual dogsled race that takes place in march. It follows a coarse between Anchorage and Nome, Alaska. It originated in 1967 as a short race of about 25 miles. It was a part of the centennial celebration of the Alaska Purchase, but evolved in 1973 into the current race.

Sleds, Sled Dogs, and Mushers

Susan Butcher was born on December 26, 1954, in Cambridge, Massachusetts. In 1975, she moved to Alaska to raise sled dogs. In 1978 she and her dogs competed in their first Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race and finished in nineteenth. Almost every subsequent year she competed in the 1,100 mile race through the Alaskan wilderness. She finished second two times in a row. In 1986 she won the race and set a record time. The following she broke her previous year's record, and in 1988 she became the first person to ever win the Iditarod races in a row.